The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has warned of severe floods in Degema, Ahoada East, West, and 10 other Local Government Areas.
At a workshop titled “Downscaling of Flood Early Warning Strategies for Early Actions” in Port Harcourt, Godwin Tepikor, Director of Risk Reduction at NEMA, solicited support from Local Government authorities to cushion the impact or effects of the impending floods. Meanwhile, Babatunde Adebiyi, Zonal Director of the Agency, revealed that 13 high-risk Local Government Areas have been identified, and the agency is working proactively to prepare them for the impending flood. The high-risk LGAs include Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Degema, Ahoada East, and West, among others.
In a related prediction, NEMA’s Director-General in Zamfara, Zubaida Umar, foresaw and warned that eight Local Government Areas in Zamfara State would experience moderate flooding during the 2024 rainy season. The predicted LGAs are Bugundu, Gummi, Gusau, Bakura, Maradun Talata Mafara, Shinkafi, and Zurmi. Umar laid emphasis on the need for collective efforts to protect vulnerable communities, and important infrastructures, and ensure “uninterrupted socio-economic activities in the country”, in her words.
According to the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency’s (NIHSA) 2024 Annual Flood Outlook, 31 states with 148 Local Government Areas are classified as high flood risk areas, while 35 states, including the FCT, with 249 LGAs are considered moderate flood risk areas. The remaining 377 LGAs are forecasted to be in low flood-risk areas.
It remains to be seen how things pan out in the coming months.
